The Joker's Face: Really?

Okay, as obvious as this sounds, I've never seen a thread that STRICTLY dealt with answers on this: Why on Earth would they make Joker have his face cut off, then rigged back on? I doubt it's just for shits and giggles. I think his face has something KEY to the plot that we are all overlooking. What does it symbolize? Why would he want to do it? What tricks would it allow him to play? The whole face-thing clearly has something big to do with the story, since that's an enourmous character change with his face literally rotting off.

Joker may be crazy, but his not batsh!t crazy(no pun attended) There is a method to his madness and that is something only a completely gonzo person would do. Unless... there's another reason/purpose behind it.

Joker voluntarily has Dollmaker cut his face off (that's what I've read. Haven't personally read Detective Comics, but that's what I've read). Joker disappears for years, comes back with his face tied to his head with a belt.

Am I the only one who doesn't think this adds up right?

Why would Joker voluntarily have Dollmaker cut his face off? Was it so that way someone could pose as Joker to distract Batman and the Family while Joker was doing the real threat?

Hush successfully posed as Bruce Wayne before the New 52 (I now know it was not in the Batman: Hush story, but I know he has done it before), so why couldn't he pose as Joker now? He still hasn't been reintroduced.

I know this is highly unlikely, but still. Like I said, just a theory.

I had always thought Joker had his face cut off because he wanted to "retire" but something happened to him while he was out of the picture that sent him even more over the edge and just had to come back to funk that bat-fam up once and for all.

Joker voluntarily has Dollmaker cut his face off (that's what I've read. Haven't personally read Detective Comics, but that's what I've read). Joker disappears for years, comes back with his face tied to his head with a belt.

Am I the only one who doesn't think this adds up right?

Why would Joker voluntarily have Dollmaker cut his face off? Was it so that way someone could pose as Joker to distract Batman and the Family while Joker was doing the real threat?

Hush successfully posed as Bruce Wayne before the New 52 (I now know it was not in the Batman: Hush story, but I know he has done it before), so why couldn't he pose as Joker now? He still hasn't been reintroduced.

I know this is highly unlikely, but still. Like I said, just a theory.

That was in Paul Dini's run. It was colloquially referred to as "the saga of Tommy Elliot." It consists of four trades:

Batman: Heart of Hush

Batman: Streets of Gotham - Hush Money

Batman: Streets of Gotham - Leviathan

Batman: Streets of Gotham - House of Hush

Tommy had decided to take advantage of Bruce Wayne's supposed death or disappearance by surgically altering his face to match Bruce's. It wasn't even that successful either, he wasn't able to convince anyone remotely close to the real Bruce. Selina knew right away. These stories take place after Final Crisis and Battle For the Cowl, and before The Return of Bruce Wayne and Flashpoint.

Joker voluntarily has Dollmaker cut his face off (that's what I've read. Haven't personally read Detective Comics, but that's what I've read). Joker disappears for years, comes back with his face tied to his head with a belt.

Am I the only one who doesn't think this adds up right?

Why would Joker voluntarily have Dollmaker cut his face off? Was it so that way someone could pose as Joker to distract Batman and the Family while Joker was doing the real threat?

Hush successfully posed as Bruce Wayne before the New 52 (I now know it was not in the Batman: Hush story, but I know he has done it before), so why couldn't he pose as Joker now? He still hasn't been reintroduced.

I know this is highly unlikely, but still. Like I said, just a theory.

That was in Paul Dini's run. It was colloquially referred to as "the saga of Tommy Elliot." It consists of four trades:

Batman: Heart of Hush

Batman: Streets of Gotham - Hush Money

Batman: Streets of Gotham - Leviathan

Batman: Streets of Gotham - House of Hush

Tommy had decided to take advantage of Bruce Wayne's supposed death or disappearance by surgically altering his face to match Bruce's. It wasn't even that successful either, he wasn't able to convince anyone remotely close to the real Bruce. Selina knew right away. These stories take place after Final Crisis and Battle For the Cowl, and before The Return of Bruce Wayne and Flashpoint.

He also appeared as Bruce Wayne in Gotham City Sirens #4, which was also written by Paul Dini. Selina wasn't convinced in that either.

@ImTheDamnBatman: What if Joker has cut off Alfred's face off after making him temporarily blind. Then Joker attaches his face to Alfred's head permanently. That seems like something crazy Scott would do?